How to Wire Speakers for a 16-Ohm Load

Create a powerful sound system by wiring your speakers for a 16-ohm load. Once you understand how much power each speaker can handle, the rest is easy. Follow these instructions to wire speakers for a 16-ohm load.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Speakers
• 16-ohm amplifier
• Speaker wire

1. Look on the back of your amplifier for the ohm rating. If you see a 16 or higher, the amplifier will work just fine.

2. Make sure your speakers can handle the power. Add up the ohm ratings on the back of your speakers. You should have a total of 16 ohm. For example, you can hook up two 8-ohm speakers for a total of 16 ohms or four 4-ohm speakers for a total of 16 ohms. Do not hook up speakers that exceed 16 total ohms.

3. Hook up your speakers in Series mode. Connect your wire into the positive (red) output on the amplifier and into the positive input on your first speaker. Then connect another wire into the negative (not red) slot on the first speaker and then into the positive slot on the second speaker. Repeat this step until all of your speakers are connected.

4. Connect a final wire into the last speaker’s negative slot and the amplifier's negative slot. Plug in the amplifier and test the speakers using low volume.